An object moving with a speed v0 collides head-on with a second object initially at rest. A student assumes the collision is ela

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An object moving with a speed v0 collides head-on with a second object initially at rest. A student assumes the collision is ela

stic and calculates the speeds of the two objects and the speed of the center of mass of the objects after the collision. If the student assumes the collision was perfectly inelastic, how would that change the way the student calculated the list values?
A. The student only uses conservation of kinetic energy for inelastic collisions, but used both conservation of kinetic energy and momentum for elastic collisions
B. The student only uses conservation of momentum for inelastic collisions, but used both conservation of kinetic energy and momentum for elastic collisions
C. The student only uses conservation of kinetic energy for the final speeds of the two objects in inelastic collisions, but only uses conservation of momentum for speed of the center of mass
D. The student only uses conservation of momentum for the final speeds of the two objects in inelastic collisions, but only uses conservation of kinetic energy for speed of the center of mass
E. The student only uses conservation of momentum for the final speeds of the two objects in elastic collisions, but only uses conservation of kinetic energy for speed of the center of mass

Physics

1 answer:

serg [3.5K] · Answer 1 · 2026-04-11T06:47:04+03:00

The answer is B. Since the first collision is elastic, both momentum and kinetic energy can be conserved within the system. The coefficient of restitution for an elastic collision is one, and it is often referred to as a perfectly elastic collision. Conversely, in a perfectly inelastic collision, kinetic energy is lost as it transforms into another form, such as internal energy. While momentum remains conserved in an inelastic collision, kinetic energy is not.